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Coyotes to Induct Tkachuk & Roenick into Ring of Honor

by
Staff Writer
/ Arizona Coyotes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- Phoenix Coyotes Chief Operating Officer Mike Nealy announced today that the Coyotes will induct former Coyotes captain Keith Tkachuk and former assistant captain Jeremy Roenick into the Coyotes Ring of Honor this season. Tkachuk will be honored when the Coyotes host the St. Louis Blues on Friday, December 23 and Roenick’s night will take place on Saturday, February 11 when the Coyotes host the Chicago Blackhawks.

“We are very pleased to induct Keith and Jeremy into the Coyotes Ring of Honor,” said Nealy. “Both Keith and JR were very important and popular players for our organization who helped launch our franchise in the Valley in 1996. They both had incredible careers and are deserving of this honor. We look forward to celebrating their careers with the Coyotes later this season.”

Tkachuk was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets. He represented the U.S. Olympic team in 1991 and 1992 and played his first full season with the Jets in 1992-93. In 1993-94, he was named team captain and by his fourth NHL season (1995-96), Tkachuk was a 50 goal scorer and had established himself as one of the NHL’s top power forwards.

Keith Tkachuk

In his first season with the Coyotes (1996-97), he became the first American-born player to lead the NHL in goals with 52 and also only the fourth player in NHL history to record 50 goals and 200 penalty minutes in a single season. Tkachuk went on to play 10 seasons with the Winnipeg/Phoenix organization, appearing in 640 games and collecting 323-300-623 and 1,508 penalty minutes.

He led the team in scoring four seasons (1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98) and recorded two 40-goal seasons (1993-94 and 1997-98) and two 50-goal campaigns (1995-96 and 1996-97). While with the Coyotes, he was selected as an NHL All-Star in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and in 1995 and 1998, was named to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team. He ranks second all-time in franchise goals, fifth in assists, fourth in points, second in power play goals and second in game-winning goals and hat tricks. He still holds the franchise record for most career penalty minutes (1,508).

A four-time member of the U.S Olympic Team (1992, 1998, 2002, 2006) and member of the U.S. 1996 World Cup winning team, Tkachuk also played nine seasons with the St. Louis Blues and 18 games with the Atlanta Thrashers after leaving the Coyotes in 2001. While with St. Louis, he recorded six seasons with 25 or more goals and scored 30 goals or more in three consecutive seasons from 2001-2004. He was an NHL All-Star with the Blues in 2004 and 2009.

In 19 NHL seasons with Winnipeg/Phoenix, St. Louis and Atlanta, Tkachuk played in 1,201 games registering 538-527-1,065 and 2,219 penalty minutes. Heading into the 2011-12 season, Tkachuk ranked 30th on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring leaders list (538) and 59th on the NHL’s all-time point leaders list (1,065). The five-time NHL All-Star and four-time U.S. Olympian is one of four U.S. born players (Modano, J. Mullen and Roenick) to score 500-plus NHL goals. He will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Chicago on December 12, 2011.

Jeremy Roenick

Roenick was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (8th overall) of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He played eight seasons with the Blackhawks from 1988-96, collecting 267 goals, 329 assists and 596 points. He scored 32 or more goals in six seasons and had three consecutive 100 point-plus campaigns (1991-1994). He was named as an NHL All-Star in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994.

Roenick was acquired by the Coyotes in 1996 and went on to play 454 games in Phoenix, collecting 152 goals, 227 assists, 379 points and 596 penalty minutes. In each of his five of his six seasons with the Coyotes, Roenick scored 24 or more goals and also had three consecutive seasons of 72 or more points (1998-2001). He led the Coyotes in scoring three seasons (1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001) and was named an NHL All-Star with the Coyotes in 1999 and 2000. He also represented Team USA at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

In the summer of 2001, Roenick was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and in his first season with the team, he compiled 67 points which surpassed 1,000 points for his career. Roenick's strong play earned him a roster spot on the 2002 U.S. Olympic Silver medal team in Salt Lake City.

After two seasons in Philadelphia, Roenick was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2005. He played one season with the Kings before signing back with the Coyotes in 2006. In his final season in Phoenix, he recorded 11-17-28.

Finally, on September 4, 2007, the San Jose Sharks agreed to sign Roenick to a one-year contract. During the 2007-08 season, he scored his 500th NHL career goal and a few games later, became the second highest American born goal scorer of all time (behind only Mike Modano). Roenick ended his career in 2009 with the Sharks.

In 20 NHL seasons with Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Jose, Roenick played in 1,363 NHL games, collecting 513-703-1,216 and 1,463 penalty minutes. The nine-time NHL All-Star, two-time U.S. Olympian (1998 and 2002) and Canada Cup (1991) participant currently ranks 36th on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list (513), 49th on the NHL’s all-time assist leaders list (703) and 40th on the NHL’s all-time point scoring list (1,216). He is one of four U.S. Born players to score 500 or more goals and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.